


The Braid

by PinkTigerLily



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-09 10:12:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5536016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkTigerLily/pseuds/PinkTigerLily
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Obi-Wan has grown out his hair after Qui-Gon's death to honor him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Braid

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a prompt I found on Tumblr a while back. If you would like to see it here it is: http://chibiobiwan.tumblr.com/post/135555082945/sarlyneart-star-wars-au-where-everything-is

Obi-Wan Kenobi rose from bed on a special day, for he woke up with no missions to complete, no Council to stand in front of, and no responsibilities. He fixed himself a cup of tea and situated a meditation matt in front of a window that stretched from the ceiling to the floor. It gave a spectacular view of Coruscant and the Jedi Council building far in the distance. 

After he finished his tea, Obi-Wan grabbed a brush from a near table and sat back down on his matt, beginning to slowly brush out knots in the reddish locks, feeling them drape around his face slightly blocking out the growing rays of sunshine from the windows. He had started growing out his hair since his knighting, which wasn’t very far after his master’s funeral. He wanted to honor Qui-Gon more than just the simple couple of days the Council gave Jedi to grieve their masters, and since he wasn’t a padawn anymore he was allowed to have any hairstyle he liked.

As Obi-Wan brushed out his hair he delicately started to split it into three separate chunks. An English braid is what it was called. Qui-Gon taught Obi-Wan this braid when he was pretty young as an apprentice. Qui-Gon often used it to sleep in, so his hair would be less of a hassle in the mornings. Obi-Wan remembered asking on more than one occasion why he didn’t just cut off all his hair; wouldn’t that be the easiest way to keep it? When he asked this Qui-Gon just smiled at him, and told him that one day he might understand; he said it meant something, almost like a symbol. Obi-Wan didn’t exactly understand at the time but nodded and his master continue. In his case he grieved for people, later Obi-Wan found out the people Qui-Gon was talking about were his wife and first apprentice who he had lost to the galaxy’s wars. And now Obi-Wan had lost Qui-Gon to the same thing.

He missed his master so much it hurt, it hurt everywhere. It would hurt physically; he would often be walking down an empty corridor and spontaneously double over, hands clutching his heart as he swallowed back sobs that threatened to escape his lips. All because he remembered walking down the same hallway with his master; both of them joking about the latest mission. He could never sense these attacks, and he never knew when they would strike. They didn’t have a pattern, not even in the intensity. Once he was sitting in on a meeting with several senators for the Jedi Council and had to walk out simply because he couldn’t see through his tears, nothing more. But this lost also hurt mentally; he would come home after a day of just wondering the halls of the Council building, waiting to be call upon, and be completely exasperated to the point of skipping last meal in order to sleep for maybe a hour or so more. 

Once his hair was thoroughly brushed Obi-Wan picked up a ribbon that was sitting beside him; it was a very special ribbon, one that harnessed the power of a crystal that was often used by the Jedi to power their lightsabers. Obi-Wan got this ribbon from Qui-Gon as well, and Qui-Gon got it from one of the caves that the crystals were found in. As he weaved the ribbon into his hair he could feel the ribbon start to change colors from blue to green, and back again. It often did that, the whole changing colors thing. Obi-Wan liked it, he felt like it was one way he and his master could be together even after his death. One second it was blue, the next green; just like the colors of their lightsabers. 

Once he was done braiding Obi-Wan quickly got up from his matt to examine it. He walked over to the mirror and twisted the braid in order to see all sides of it. It was beautiful, the ribbon; and it stood out so well, the emerald light contrasting against Obi-Wan’s hair…  
Then Obi-Wan noticed something else, he was crying, again. He rolled his eyes even as the tears rolled down his face, “So blasted emotional,” he thought to himself. This wasn’t unusual so he allowed the tears to fall as he looked on in the mirror; watching them roll down his cheeks and drop onto his tunic.  
He missed his master so much… If only he was faster… If only he had jumped up sooner… If only he ran faster…

“I’m sorry, master. I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you,” Obi-Wan buried his face into his hands, quietly crying. He felt so guilty about Qui-Gon’s death. “But master, I-I understand now. I understand why you grieved for so long an-and I’m sorry for never understanding you then, when you told me but I do now!” Obi-Wan’s silent crying started turning into sobs that racked his body, “I’m sorry you had to feel that pain! I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help you through it all because oh gods, I need you more than ever right now!”

Just then, a shadowy, almost transparent figure emerged from round a corner, out of view. He slowly walked over to the distressed man lying in the middle of the floor before him and squatted down to meet him. Qui-Gon made sure to keep his presence hidden with help of the living force, it wasn’t time for him to confront his once-apprentice; yet. He fingered the braid Obi-Wan perfectly wove and felt a familiar ache in his chest rise.  
“Oh Obi-Wan, you may feel much grief for me now but I can promise you that this sadness is nothing compared to leaving an apprentice; even if death was the reason. You’ll understand that one day too,” Qui-Gon rose and found himself having to wipe away tears, “And for that… I am sorry.”


End file.
